"Brring," the alarm startles you out of a deep sleep. It's 8 a.m. on Monday morning. Time to head to the office. You roll out of bed, brush your teeth and stumble your way to the kitchen to grab some coffee.

Moments later, you head to the office, still wearing your pajamas and fluffy slippers. Luckily for you, you don't have far to go -- you work at home. Telecommuting, or working at home, has grown in popularity over the last 20 years.

On an increasing basis, workers are saying "no" to long commutes and opting to work at home. In fact, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the number of employees working from home grew by 23 percent from 1990 to 2000.

Telecommuting workers revel in making their own schedule -- allowing them to schedule work around family and personal commitments. With the ready availability of technology tools, like the Internet and home computers, companies are more willing to let employees work from home.

How has technology aided in the surge of home workers? How do you convince your boss to let you work from home? And, besides decreasing commute times, what are some of the other benefits of commuting? Check out the next page to find out.

If you'd like to get your home in shape for winter, we have five autumn chores that will make it easier to get through those long, cold winters and maybe save a little money on home energy bills, too. Check out our quiz to learn how.